27 Goddess of Light

A/N: Before we begin, I wanted to clear some doubts. It seems my decision to have MC's grade as Silver wasn't well-received. I got a lot of comments who showed their clear annoyance/dissatisfaction about that (and one comment defending my choice very well. Thank you, Atlas. You definitely understood my motives). And a lot of them had some really fair points. I do agree with some of your guys' opinions on the matter. It's pretty cliché and overused in stories. I know. I get it. But I had to do it. It was what my plot needed from me, later down the line.

But since it's come to this, please allow me to explain my reasons "briefly".(That's a lie. It got 500 words long. :/) You'll see in the next chapter after this one, WHY the MC decided to limit himself to Silver rather than Gold even though he wasn't planning to do the whole 'I'm a weakling nobody. Don't notice me, as I do everything from the shadows but pretend to be a bag of potatoes.' thingy.

The reason is simple. Platinum, according to my story, is not generally considered when talking about grades. It's too rare. Too special. Generally, for most people, including nobility, Gold is considered the best possible foundation grade, and is for geniuses. Silver is for talented people. Copper is for above average, Bronze for average, and Tin for talentless/least talented people. You see now? MC being in Silver grade doesn't mean he's just "above average". He's still very talented in the eyes of people, just not the best– which is what he was aiming for.

Being in the Gold grade would have made him a target to certain people and groups that he wanted to avoid confronting immediately, for now. You'll see what I mean when we reach the Academy arc, which is still a dozen or more chapters away. I'll be dealing with another arc before I begin the canon storyline. Spoiler Alert! 'Expect adventure.'

ALSO! One's foundation grade has nothing to do with their strength. It just represents how talented an individual is and how fast they can grow(increase their tiers). And in cases of lowest tiers, whether or not they can achieve higher foundation stages(Monarch tiers, Demigod Tiers, etc.)

MC has control over the speed that he shows to others thanks to his convenient skill 'Realm Limiter'. So, there are no issues in that regard. As for his public growth rate. Yes, I had to compromise a bit on that, but trust me, he doesn't need to slow down his growth that much. One's foundation grade isn't the only thing in this world that increases one's Tier faster. There are others means like hard work(yes, it pays, at least in training), potions, equipment, and artifacts. There's a whole deal with dungeons and artifacts that I've yet to explore in the story. MC has no shortage of resources to grow, in the public's eyes.

Phew. I think that's enough explanation. Don't wanna drag it too long.

If ever after this you find my decision "dumb", "stupid", "pointless", "weird", etc. Then I can do nothing about that. I'm an amateur author trying to create a humble story here. Give me a fricking break.

On another note, the pace of the story will change soon since I've figured out what's gonna happen after this. Thanks for your kind support. Now enjoy the chapter. :)

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It was entirely possible to grade one's foundation on their own with the help of some experienced people. In fact, my mother already knew of my grade thanks to the head wizard who came last night after I told my mother of the news. She had called for him, as requested, and he measured my grade with some sort of inspection magic.

But going to church on your birthday for foundation grading was more of a custom than necessity, one that my mother seemed to follow. It wasn't anything crazy anyway. Just some religious formalities and then you're done.

By the way, the information about my Foundation grade was already attested and sent to the Empire's ministry. It was mandatory for all noble houses to inform the Empire of their children's ranks.

…

We followed the archbishop, his entourage following quietly behind us, on the stairs to the church's main hall.

And when I reached the top stair, I finally got to witness the sheer size of the church.

'Holy shit, it's fucking huge.'

[Isn't it rude to curse like that in the church? Especially when the gods, or rather goddesses, in this world are real and can actually see and hear things?]

'Oh, you're right. I should probably keep my language in check. Don't wanna get smited by the goddess of light on my birthday.'

It wasn't a joke, by the way. It was possible to upset the goddesses and then get divine punishment. It wasn't that common, but not unheard of either.

Basically, don't anger the goddesses. You're not gonna like the outcome if they do get angry, which was rare for such beings, but not impossible.

'You think they'll smite me for that?'

[You wanna try?]

'Nope.'

[As for your question, they'll probably not going to bother with something insignificant like cursing inside a church. They have better things to do, like making sure the world is balanced and other various aspects.]

'I remember in the game, they were pretty kind and generous. Especially Goddess Theona.'

[Naturally. In the game, you interacted with them as the protagonist, Mark. He was the holder of the Holy Sword, a divine artifact that is a Symbol of Light and Holy elements. That's why he was favored. Not everyone gets the same treatment.]

'Hmm. Wonder if he'll get the sword in this world too. The storyline I know will be pretty much fucked to pieces if he didn't get the sword and became the Hero in 2 years.'

I already had the confirmation from Iris that everyone from the game, including the protagonist, was present in the world when I reincarnated. So, the MC, according to the storyline was probably living a normal life of an average village boy right now. In the game, he received the sword about 3 or so months before the Academy arc began. It was the prologue of the game.

[There's a small possibility of that not happening. But if I had to guess, it'll most certainly happen. He must have gotten some protection and path correction from the Will of the world as the 'Protagonist'. He's the chosen one.]

'Then he'll have a tough life ahead…. Sigh, I really hope you are right about him not getting all the girls just by being there. I remember how easy was it to amass a Harem. I am not gonna lose Emma or the other girls I'm eyeing for to him.'

[I don't know what kind of person the current Mark is. You must know that Mark, as the playable character, was special. He didn't have a concrete personality and it changed a lot based on your, the player's, play style. So, this 'Mark' will develop his own personality based on the circumstances in his life, like people normally do. You can only wait till you meet him personally to ascertain it.]

'Yeah, you're right. And I was gonna fuck the canon storyline anyway. After all, Emma is already different from her game self. She's less bossy and moody. And I have a feeling she's gonna be stronger than her initial canon self too.'

[Emma has had a rival and training partner early in her life, unlike in the game where she used to train solo. This improved her growth as a swordsman and a person.]

'Yup. I've already caused butterflies. I'm a bit nervous about the Academy arc now. I really want to leave the house and go monster hunting to level up soon. I'm kinda itching for a fight and to get stronger. This new body feels powerful.'

[Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find a way. For now, you should focus on the present.]

'Hmm.'

We entered the hall, filled with rows of wooden benches, much like your normal churches, but in the front, there was a podium and above it, in the center lay a statue of a goddess.

'So that's goddess Theona, huh.'

I looked at the beautifully carved statue of a woman who seemed as if she was alive. The realism was mind-boggling. And they truly hit the nail with her face.

'She looks exactly like the goddess of light I know from the game. How did they make her so accurate when no one has ever met her in real life?'

[The goddesses never come to the mortal plane, but they can show themselves in Oracles or dreams. That's how people got to know their faces.]

The goddess of light, Theona, was one of the 13 Major goddesses of this world.

Talking about goddesses, let's talk about them in some detail.

The game Cryotopia had dozens of goddesses, each representing different aspects of the world. But among them, there were 13 who represented the 13 major aspects. These major aspects were divided into two categories: One was the Elemental category: Light, Darkness, Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. There was a goddess representing each of these 6 fundamental elements of the world. The second category was the non-elemental category. Life, Death, Nature, Order, Wisdom, Time, and Space.

Apart from that, there were a couple of dozen minor goddesses who represented various other aspects but weren't as well-known as the major goddesses. They either worked under one of the major goddesses or alone.

The game only had a verbal mention of so many goddesses. In reality, you could only ever meet the Goddess of Light, and she wasn't a Capture Target but more of a guide and helper of sorts. Her Oracle, the Holy Maiden, on the other hand, was a Capture Target. A very difficult one.

But still, it was unfortunate. Truly a pity since the goddess herself was smoking hot. The greed of a horny Eroge gamer was simply insatiable. They always wanted more; I always wanted more…

But that was all in the game. This world had more, thanks to the "additional content" that was added during the creation of this world.

Apparently, this world had 3 Supreme Goddesses who watched over the goddesses themselves as their superiors or managers. And if that wasn't enough, this world had a creation Goddess. 'The Supreme and most powerful being in Cryotopia. The absolute ruler of all the worlds in Cryotopia. She doesn't interfere in the world of mortals, demons, or goddesses at all; just observes everything. She's the goddess of Goddesses.' Those were the words Iris used to describe this unfathomable being.

I just wanted to know why?

What prompted 'the Reincarnation System' to create such a being and what was the limit of her authority? She was supposed to have created this world according to the goddess lore, but that was not true. She, along with other goddesses, was also the creation of a superior being. It was getting confusing at this point, but I now understood even more why I was given the 'Mind Field' Skill protecting my mind and memories from any probe.

Thinking about such a scary possibility made me shudder inside.

'I don't wanna find out what happens if she became aware that this world is not her creation and she isn't some absolute being. That thought makes me shudder. Yeah, I'll just not think about such possibilities.'

[You're jinxing it.]

'Wait, for real?! Now you're scaring me, Iris. Please tell me I'm not gonna be on the receiving end of the wrath of the absolute being of this world.'

[I highly doubt it. If I had to make a guess from my data of her, she's probably just watching over the whole world in her bird's eye view from her resting place. As I said, she's not someone who interferes even a bit in the world. She's more of a placeholder for the absolute being. She just watches everything happening like it's a TV show.]

'Huh. I see. That's definitely relieving to hear.'

Anyway, now that that was out of the way, I focused back on what was in front of me.

Goddess Theona. Or at least her statue.

In the game, Theona appeared to the player in her 6-winged angel form with a circular metallic golden halo on top and a larger halo on the back that seemed to have been made by sticking various blades of different sizes side by side. She had platinum-colored hair that seemed to flow from her sides to her breasts. Her face was attractive, with irises matching her hair color and her lovely lips pink. She had a small oval face, and every inch of it was carved into perfection with no flaws. She gave off a look of innocence and purity.

Moving on from that, she had medium-sized breasts, a slim waist, and a medium-sized butt. As for her attire, she wore a silky white dress with golden bronze accents that seemed like metallic carvings attached to her dress. The dress seemed to be formed of various parts of the silky fabric and it warped around her breasts and sides and created a back cover like a half of a frilly frock, with her front lower section covered with another piece of the same cloth that seemed to have been tied to the back of her dress from inside. It then had these arm bands that contained a large piece of the silky white cloth that seemed oversized, even floating downwards like the ends of a silky scarf. Finally, she wore gloves and high socks that seemed to have been made from the same fabric but fitted tightly to her skin. And an upper coat-like vest that only had a collar and two leaf-like parts further covering her breasts.

Her dress gave an ample view of her cleavage, waist part of her upper thighs and in certain parts, it almost felt translucent. It especially looked as if you could peek into her private area down there where it was covered by a thin layer of silky clothing, yet somehow the main parts were never visible, even if the skin near her upper thighs was.

It was honestly a tease in the game during the parts where she showed herself to us, the player.

As for accessories, she wore a golden bronze tiara of sorts on her forehead that had a broad sword-shaped protrusion in the front, connected to two more protrusions on its sides creating a trident-like shape, two large golden bronze bangles on both arms, and uniquely designed cross-shaped golden bronze earrings. On one hand, she held a white spear of light with gold accents, the same as her dress. And on the other a ball of golden-white light signifying her dominion over light and holy elements. (A/N: I don't know what got over me, but I wrote an overly detailed description of the Goddess. This is my first time writing such a detailed description of a character in this novel. And I'm now certain this isn't my forte at all. O.O)

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